The Beach
by Pacific Author
Summary: My name is Annie Odair, my husband is Finnick Odair. He went to the Hunger Games twice and returned. Then, he left and never returned. I don't know why I'm not with him. I should be with him. My name is Finnick Odair, my wife is Annie Odair. She went to the Hunger Games and returned changed. She was taken away. Then I left and never returned I'm not with her. I want to be with her.


**CHAPTER ONE**

"Are you nervous?" Finnick asked. "I don't know." I replied. "If you do get picked, I'll volunteer for the boy." he offered. "No, don't, you can't." I said. "Maybe they won't notice. It was five years ago." he said. We both stayed quiet for a little while. "That wouldn't work. We shouldn't risk it." I shook my head, "I think it's time to go.". He was silent for a moment and we were both just sitting there. Finnick nodded and got up, then he held out his hand. I grabbed it and he pulled me up. I wiped the sand off of my dress with my free hand and he led me to where District 4 has the reapings.

"Today the tributes for the 70th Hunger Games will be chosen." the woman from the Capitol said, I never learned her name. Or maybe I did, and I just kept forgetting. They showed the video and everything and then they brought out the glass bowls full of paper. I looked over and Finnick, I couldn't help it. This was one of the few times that he was back in District 4. I wanted to see him as much as I could. "Ladies first." the woman on the stage said. She put her hand into the bowl, pulled out a small piece of paper, and opened it. "Annie Cresta." she said. I froze. Out of the corner of my eye I could see Finnick staring at me, trying to mouth something with a tear coming down his face. I didn't look back at him. I just focused straight ahead and walked up to the stage. I couldn't look at him. It was too painful. Now, I realize that I should've looked at him every chance I had gotten. I didn't know then. I got onto the stage. "Annie Cresta, the female tribute of District 4 for the 70th annual Hunger Games." the woman announced. I looked down at Finnick, my vision blurry with tears. He had his face in his hands. "And now for the men." she said. She called out a random name, I couldn't remember it. The only thing I can remember now is Finnick. That's it. No friends, no family, no extra names. Those take up too much space in my memory. All that I have room for in my mind now is Finnick, and my son, and Peeta, and Katniss, who couldn't save him. Or maybe she just chose not to save him. I have no idea. When she called the boy name, I saw Finnick start to move. I looked him in the eyes and shook my head. I wanted him to go, I really did. But, I couldn't forget the rule, there's only one who makes it out alive. And I know that Finnick would have gotten killed trying to protect me. Later, when we got to say our goodbyes, my family came in and said goodbye, my only friend, and best friend came. "Finnick!" I ram towards him and wrapped my arms around his neck. He hugged me around my waist. "I love you." he whispered in my ear. "I love you too." I said. I could hear him crying. I was crying too. Not because I had to leave District 4, or kill people, or die. Because I had to leave Finnick, and I might have never seen him again, and I could only have one goodbye to possibly last an eternity. I started to let go but, he just squeezed tighter. I started to push him away. "When you come back-" he began to say. "If." I corrected. "**When** you come back, I'll be waiting at the beach." he said. "Okay." I smiled as he wiped a tear from my eye. We hugged, then he kissed me on the cheek and slowly walked backwards out the door. I smiled and blinked away tears.

The entire time I was in the arena, I was thinking of Finnick. I was thinking of his smile, and his eyes, and his voice, but mainly, I was thinking about his stories from when he was in the arena for how to survive. Though, I was thinking so much, I forgot to do those things. I just hid, and that's how I won.

Once I got back home after the victory tour, I went to the beach, our beach. And, he wasn't there.

"Finnick?" I tried to yell, but, I felt like I had to cry, so I could barely speak, "Where are you?" I croaked. I collapsed and started crying into my hands. After everything in the arena, this was the last thing I needed. About 30 minutes later I heard my name. "Annie?" Finnick said, "Annie!". "Annie?" he said quietly as he got closer. "Annie, are you okay?" he sat next to me and put his hand on my shoulder. I stayed silent. "I'm so sorry Annie. I had to go to the Capitol because…" he paused, "some people wanted to meet with me, I am so sorry.". I turned my head towards him. "Who were you meeting?". "Annie…" he looked down, "it was just really personal.". "No secrets, Finn." I said. "Annie…" he trailed off, "I just…". "I already know." I turned my face back into my knees, "And I know that you don't want to talk about it.". He took my hand. "Do you want to talk?" he asked. I turned my head away. He scooted closer to me, "I told you." he said. "What?" I asked, turning my head towards Finnick. "I told you that you would come back." he said, smiling. "You also said that you would be waiting here for me." I said. He took both of my hands, "Annie, I am so so sorry." he said, "I promise that no matter what is going on in the Capitol, every single day from now on, I will be waiting right here." he said, letting go of one of my hands and sticking his pinky finger out. I grabbed it with my pinky and we both smiled. He turned towards the waves and put his arm around me. We spent the rest of the day talking about all of the things that happened during the Victory Tour and on my way to the games. After that day, he kept his promise. But, I couldn't do the same. After a few weeks, I really started to remember the games. Most people were out and about, killing and finding allies and getting distracted. I was there for almost every death, hiding and not being able to do anything. And the Careers did horrible things to those children. Once I started to remember the games I had a lot of trouble with focusing, on anything and I went mad. Though, Finnick always said that I wasn't insane, I was perfect. The doctors said I was "unstable". They took me to the District 4 asylum and they didn't tell Finnick for about a month. Every day Finnick went to the beach and waited for me, but I never showed up. After a long time of trying to recover, they let me go for a week to visit family, but I waited to do that, the first thing I did was go to the beach and see Finnick, though I was early. I saw him walking towards the beach, with a blanket and a basket, looking around. Then he saw me. "Annie!" he screamed. He dropped everything he was holding and ran towards me. Finnick hugged me around my waist, lifted me up and twirled me around. I wrapped my arms around his neck as he set me down. "Where have you been?" he asked, still smiling. I pushed him away a little and looked down. His smile started to fade. "Annie?" he took one of my hands in his, "What…what happened?". "I got taken away." I said, looking up at him with watery eyes. "Wh-where were you?" he asked. "The asylum." I said looking back down. "Annie…" he wrapped him arms around my waist and buried his face in my shoulder. I just stood there with my arms hanging, looking straight ahead. "Why?" he asked, turning his head up. "I don't know. It just…" I trailed off and stared to the side at the ocean. "Does your family know?" he asked. I stayed silent and kept staring into space. "I should stop asking questions." he said, sitting down on the sand. I turned my head and "came back to reality" as Finnick used to say. "What's been going on?" I asked him. "Not much," he said, "I've been going to the Capitol a lot lately for-". "Meetings?" I asked looking away from him. "Annie," he scooted closer and turned my head towards him, "don't be like that, I'm in love with you, and no one else." he smiled. I wanted to stay angry at him but, when he smiled, I couldn't help grinning. He put his arm around me, I rested my head on his shoulder, and he tilted his head so that it was on mine. "It's too bad we aren't here at sunset." I said. "Why is that?" he asked. "The pink sky." I explained, "It's the prettiest sky there is. I can't see it back in the asylum.". "Maybe we can stay until then." he said laughing. "Can we?" I asked. "Whatever you want, Cresta." Finnick used to call me "Cresta" when he wanted me to smile. I nodded. I ran away from him and jumped into the ocean. I gestured for him to come into the water. He smiled and ran to me. I immediately splashed him and he pushed me into the water. Then, he held out his hand to help me up, I took it, and pulled him underneath. We both laughed. Finnick and I swam around and talked on the beach until the pink sky. We had been sitting on the beach for so long, we were both feeling too lazy to go home so, we just stayed at the beach and slept there for the night. That morning, we went over to Mags' and spent most of the day there. After that, we visited my family and spent a couple days there. We spent the rest of the week at the beach and spending time with Mags. Then, I had to go back, but that was okay, because Finnick knew where I was, so everyday they let us have lunch in the asylum. Once they saw how he calmed me down, they let him take me out of the asylum. So, we ate every meal together and we waited for the pink sky but, I always had to go back. Once in a while, I got an entire day away and I had to stay with Finnick the whole time. Which wasn't a problem. Finnick barely even had to spend any time at the Capitol. Life was amazing, until 5 years later, when it wasn't.


End file.
